Duckless
by ObscureWriter
Summary: A plot bunny from episode 10 Beak to the Future ... Tanya makes the deciding vote and the team goes home to Puckworld, leaving Earth to Dragaunus. Follow Phil Pomfeather as he goes from manager to resistance leader.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Like many fans before me I officially proclaim "I own none of the places, characters, tech etc. in this story. They all belong to the Walt Disney Company."

Prologue

A day was far too long to be without a world to dominate. And having been forced to wait a year was beyond excruciating for the last Saurian Overlords, Lord Dragaunus. The burden was far greater than being born into Dimensional Limbo where a numb existence was forged by the long stale memories of failure. There he studied the beginnings of those stories where in that other world his people were a massive force. Of how the Overlords used their knowledge of the magical dark arts to dominate in total secret. He also listened intently to the downfall… Of how a duck named Drake DuCaine used technology to unveil the cloaks of the Overlords with a golden hockey mask.

Dragaunus would not bow down to the circumstances presented to him. When his time came he abandoned the magical knowledge cultivated by the Saurians for the realm of technology. With a small band of loyal followers the goal of escape became a reality.

The planet of Puckworld believed their ancient enemy was fully defeated. In one vicious attack the descendants of Drake DuCaine were firmly under Saurian claw once more. The duck population was forced to work, making Dragaunus a larger robotic army. Their masters had more planets to reclaim and then more to take for the first time. But, when Dragaunus and his forces were bested by a small resistance group, the Saurians escaped as they had before. Ultimately the two groups were forced to stay in the new dimension where, on the Planet Earth, the battle continues.

Intelligence was an extremely loose term when put in context with Earth's dominant race. The beings called that called themselves 'human' seemed to have earned their rank by shear luck with their equally weak bodies. Evolutionary shortcomings aside some proved useful with similar loves to the Saurian Overlord. But, their use always ended when the Ducks thwarted the scheme.

Over time Draguanus made contact with a ruthless businessman, Phineas P. Viper. The Overlord quickly saw thatthis man had, by far, the finest resources to exploit. The Saurians already had a ship that was capable of conquest. But when the Ducks destroyed the Raptor's rare fuel of belirium power crystals their planes were seriously hindered. Along with sanctuary Dragaunus convinced Viper to build him a powerful ship that used a more conventional energy source. For these two things Dragaunus would give Viper the world-- after the Overlord was through with it.

Once again the plan was perfect, but the biggest problem remained. How to deal with the Ducks? Once again Dragaunus studied history. He realized he would have to forego his fantasy of having a hearty meal of roast duck. Ever the businessman Viper attempted to buy their hockey franchise. While the plan failed all was far from lost…

************

"Ha! Ha! Ha! This oughta bring 'em runnin'!" Saurian grunt, Siege crowed as he fired his laser blaster.

The scrawny shapeshifting Chameleon eagerly joined his larger companion in the wanton destruction. Ignoring a loud alarm the pair continued to send blasts into the glass door of a high end jewelry store. Their assault was finally halted when flaming puck came in between them and the building. Both Saurians backed away as the duck's tank-like vehicle, the Migrator came to a stop.

"We've got then by the scales now!" Mallory, the Ducks weapons specialist, exclaimed eagerly from her seat in the vehicle.

Before the Ducks could make another move a large green glow appeared close to the flaming store.

Former jewel thief, Duke, was quick to recognize what was happening. "Dragaunus!"

Mallory jumped to the Migrator's controls. "Annihilate 'em!" the red head ordered as she scanned the controls.

Dragaunus lifted a large clawed hand. "Wait! I admit defeat."

Team captain, Wildwing, eyed his enemy from behind the Mask of Drake DuCaine.

"What's he up to now?" he pondered aloud.

"Its obvious I will never stop you. So, I'll make you an offer instead." the Overlord continued as he produced a small object from his purple robe and set the device on a wooden bench. "This teleporter is linked to my Dimensional Gateway Generator-- its set for Puckworld. _Use_ it. Return home and _leave_ the Earth to me!"

The teenage Nosedive was quick to voice the seemingly obvious. "All together now, "its gotta be a trap"."

His older brother silently scanned the Saurian teleporter the Mask. To his shock the readout proved the villain was true to his word. "He's on the level. That thing's set for Puckworld."

This news was a beautiful siren song to the team tech, Tanya. Her time on Earth had worn down her resolve to stick things out. "Let's do it, Wildwing. Please? Let's just go home."

"We'll vote on it." Wildwing answered. "I say we stay." he then turned to the largest member of the team. "Grin?"

"I'll have to meditate on the matter." the overly muscled duck calmly replied as he gave a bow.

"I'll put you down as abstaining." the team captain hoped the others would be more decisive.

"This place is heinous, man." Nosedive jumped in. "Let's get out of here."

Tanya folded her arms in quiet approval. The gesture was dashed when Mallory put her word in. "No. We have to complete our mission. I vote we stay."

Duke was the next to speak. "Neah, we've been away for a year. There could be other threats to Puckworld by now. We should be there to defend our home."

Everyone knew what was coming before Wildwing said his next words. "Tanya, it's up to you."

Tanya knew what leaving any planet to Dragaunus meant. She had seen his forces nearly destroy her home world. But, after a year she also missed the planet where she'd been hatched. "Well, it a lot of pressure to a... Well… Ya… I dunno… I… Okay, I guess I… I'll vote fur, um." she hung her head in defeat. "I vote we go."

Wildwing's gaze left his team and turned back to Dragaunus. The Overlord locked his eyes with his most annoying adversary. He watched the drake give a nod.

The walk from the Migrator was only a few feet, but it felt like miles. Like the others, Wildwing knew what they were sacrificing. He'd hoped more of his team would have been selfless. Still, a small part of him was grateful when he took the teleporter from Dragaunus' scaly hand.

The Duck leader put the Saurian device on the hood of the Migrator and activated it. The Saurians teleported themselves to parts unknown as the portal began to suck everything it could in. Wildwing ran back inside, closed the vehicle and rushed to his seat. Soon the Migrator could no longer resist the vacuum.

************

A peaceful snowy scene was suddenly disturbed when the cold air began to crackle. The electricity instantly turned into a brilliant source of light. The Migrator flashed into existence and skidded to a halt leaving a tsunami of white in its wake. Once everything had settled the Ducks could see the outline of scaffolding and buildings in the distance.

Their hearts were a strange mixture of light and heavy as they took in the view. Then they silently looked at each other, expressions saying everything. The next sounds were the clicks of seatbelts and the opening of the Migrator's doors. Tentatively the team walked out and took a deep breathe-- they were home.

************

Back in the Earth dimension the Saurians reappeared in the bridge of the Raptor. A thrill swelled in Dragaunus making him feel like as if he already ruled the world. Even his minions sensed that a heady freedom was beginning a new.

"At last! Those mangy mallards are gone!" the Saurian Lord proclaimed from his throne.

A question nagged at Siege's mind. "What if they'd turned you down?" he inquired, knowing it was safe to voice such a quibble.

"The Wraith would have blasted them to smithereens." Dragaunus gestured to his third follower.

The aged Saurian magic user stood close to the shadows. His gaunt frame was over powered by the missile launcher in his gnarled claws.

"I never get to have any fun." Wraith pouted.

Draganus let out a hearty laugh knowing that would change very soon for all of them.

************

For the most part Phil Pomfeather counted himself lucky to have discovered a brilliant hockey team to manage, especially when his last team had been moved across the country. It appeared that his fortunes were in overdrive when said new team was also a group of alien ducks from another dimension. At first Phil crowed that the fast food tie-ins alone would be worth a fortune.

As time passed he learned to live with the fact that the Mighty Ducks used the profits to build a secret base under the hockey rink. And that they were determined to find and capture another alien from their world named Lord Dragaunus. But, Phil began to get irritated when the overall crime fighting became a part of the Ducks' the extra activity didn't halt their winning on the ice, it did hamper a few extra money making schemes.

On top of all this the Ducks noble streak had just nixed the biggest deal Phil would ever have on his table. A big businessman by the name of Phineas P. Viper wanted to buy the entire hockey franchise. "Lock, stock and Pond" he had said. Despite the outrageously generous amount he offered none of the ducks trusted Viper. Wildwing spoke for the team and dragged a shocked Phil off.

Phil was down, but far from out. Other wheel and deals were out there, like a photo shoot with the Duck Hunters' Quarterly magazine. But, the overweight man was in for a surprise when he came to the Pond that morning. He found there was no one to deliver the good news to. After a thorough search of all the accessible areas the manager woefully sat at Drake One. Then propped his head in his hands knowing that those ducks would come straight to the supercomputer when they returned…


	2. The Bombs are Dropping

Disclaimer: Like many fans before me I officially proclaim "I own none of the places, characters, tech etc. in this story. They all belong to the Walt Disney Company." And whatever can be recognized from the mangled Planet of the Apes reference in property of Twentieth Century Fox.

Chapter 1

An earthquake! It had to be an earthquake! Phil was jarred from his seat when the Ready Room began violently shaking. In a state of total panic the first instinct was to cover his ears and scrunch his eyes shut as every possible warning mechanism went off. A few seconds passed and it was obvious there was still no one else in the underground base. Fortunately the room was at a stand still as the manager scrambled to get his considerable girth off the floor. While the overkill of red lights and blaring alarms was distracting, the image on Drake One's screen could crystallize anyone's attention. It showed that everything above the second basement level was a giant crater.

The alarms and lights were quickly subdued as Phil typed orders to Drake One just as Tanya had taught him. Another one of her lessons was how to look at television stations through the supercomputer. With a few more buttons pushed a local station was found. The channel had their news team focused on a fierce bird-like ship as it blasted at random skyscrapers.

With eyes still on the giant computer screen Phil pinched himself. The only outcome was a flinch at the self inflicted pain. There was no awakening to the safety of his bed and apartment.

A female reporter suddenly replaced the attacking ship. _"The strange ship appeared in __the skies over Anaheim just minutes ago." _Her voice masked the fear in her body language as another barrage of explosions sounded. _"The Mighty Ducks have yet to make __an appearance." _

Phil knew as well as the terrified report that something was more wrong than the attack. With an ill feeling in the pit of his stomach he watched the screen go to static. The female reporter was replaced by imposing red form of Lord Dragaunus. Cringing Phil watch as the Saurian introduced himself and proclaimed the world his possession. And then he moved on to the subject of the Ducks.

"_And don't look to those puck loving punks…"_ Dragaunus brought his clawed hands in to view as he let out an evil chuckle. _"They have left this world."_ Suddenly transparent flames erupted from Dragaunus' palms. _"I advise the leaders of Earth to surrender __quickly or you subjects will suffer." _The picture went back to static.

Those words were like ice water on lava. Yet, somehow Dagaunus had to be lying. It was a well-known fact that a good bluff could win anything. Phil shook off his fear before he activated the Duck locator program. In a less stressful mode he would be astonished at how his fingers continually went to the right keys.

_They have to be somewhere in the city… They have to be._

Drake One never seemed so slow. And the final read out gave no relief with its shocking message. There had to be a malfunction, "No Ducks found…" couldn't be right.

_They must be out of range. Yeah, that's it. I'll check the archives…_

The Duck locator was always tracking the team, even when Drake One was on standby. Phil brought up the readouts from last night. A red blip moved from the Pond to another area of the city. There it stopped and stayed for a decent amount of time. Then the red flashing dot simply vanished.

It had to be true now. The Mighty Ducks had been defeated. Into the din of overwhelming reaction the ring of a phone sounded. Numbly Phil reached into his jacket and produced his cell phone. He slipped the antenna up and put the device to his ear. On the other end was the voice of Dennis Klegghorn, captain of the Anaheim Police force.

"_Where are the Ducks? On another one of your crazy stunts?!" _the officer yelled in his typical tone. _"Some nutball's making Swiss cheese out of the city!"_

Before the Ducks came to town Phil was off the police radar, beyond a few unpaided parking tickets. But when the team cam along and became crime fighters Captain Klegghorn found any reason possible to harass him and the alien vigilantes.

In a rare normal tone Klegghorn asked again _"Where are the Ducks, Phil?"_

"They're gone. Dragaunus won." was the final reply.

"_How do you know they didn't skip town? I __**knew**__ those birds were no good!" _

Phil's emotions shot to full blast. "If I know anything about my Ducks, it's that they're noble to fault!" he yelled into the receiver with his own ferocity. "Do you know just yesterday they turned down a deal to buy the _whole_ franchise?!"

A seething Phil heard a growl before Klegghorn hung up.

Though he only knew a small fraction of what the Saurians were capable of, it was enough information to know that humanity stood no chance. Phil's strong hunch was further bolstered by the latest pictures on Drake One's screen. The Super Raptor shot down a pair of fighter jets with ease. Averting his eyes to the controls Phil turned the supercomputer back to standby.

************

The time that Phil shuffled through the various rooms of the base were never counted. A small unrealistic part of his mind desperately clung to finding the team somewhere, strangely oblivious to the world. But the more Phil's footsteps echoed and those echoes echoed any last shreds of foolishness died.

With nothing better to do he ended up in the kitchen. His stomach probably began growling sometime before. It was only now that he noticed. Phil made his way over to the large refrigerator. When he opened the door a cornucopia of choice greeted him. A search quickly yielded a loaf of whole wheat bread and a jar of grape jelly. A rummage of the cupboards produced the peanut butter, a plate and butter knife. Phil brought all the supplies to the island counter and got to work.

What remained of the Pond was so quiet. Each subtle noise from the food packaging rang in his ear. A well of tears burst from behind Phil's eyes. He could never yell at the Ducks during a loud hockey practice. Or argue with them about promotion stunts versus crime fighting again. Due to the professional nature of their relationship the fact had never been at the forefront, but he considered the Ducks friends.

_And the last thing we discussed was that stupid Viper deal!_

Shaking Phil slammed his meaty fists precariously near the half made sandwich. He collected himself to take out his pocket square to wipe his eyes. Once he was finished he refolded the fabric and slipped it back into place. When the sandwich was complete Phil collected the jars and bread and returned them to their places. While at the refrigerator he took out the jug of milk-- a nice big glass would b perfect to wash down the sandwich.

************

The Rec Room, along with the other rooms had barely been disturbed from Dragaunus' attack. And even this place had reflections of the Ducks' beloved sport with a table hockey set by the couch. Phil found this to be of little surprise. The team constantly tried to explain how much hockey was rooted into their culture.

The movie theater-like seats near the couch were a perfect place to sit and eat. Phil slipped his glass of milk into one of the cup holders in the wood-like arms. He then took the remote off the adjacent seat, looking at the device questioningly. With a shrug he turned the big screen television on.

The screen fired to life revealing an animated bear walking a dog. Phil ordered the device to the local news channel he watched earlier. He was greeted by the same news woman, but this time she was calmly seated behind a desk. Beside her was an empty chair which Phil found strange.

"_After viewing the destruction in Anaheim, California the leaders of the world have __surrendered to the last of the Saurian Overlords, Lord Dragaunus."_ the reporter revealed with a surprising cheeriness. Once that information delivered the woman ducked beneath the desk. A pale green glow appeared in her wake. A man then popped into the other chair. _"That's right, Diane. And before all the pathetic humans are put to work I'm going __to have one of them make me a huge stack of pancakes." _The Chameleon changed his head back to its normal reptilian appearance. _"I love 'em… So fluffy when they're done __right…"_

Phil kept the big screen on just for because it made noise. The sandwich and milk were finished long before Chameleon's reviews on Earth food. Phil's eyes felt heavy, so he turned the television off and glanced towards the couch. His mind had the desire to move, but the rest of him refused to cooperate. Unconsciously Phil propped his head in his hand, quickly slipping off into a deep sleep.

************

The next time Phil was awake his mind was on one thing. Ignoring any aches from his abnormal sleeping position he left for the nearest elevator tube. Still bleary eyed he punched the 'up' button. Once the elevator reached its destination it was a short walk through the gym to a second tube followed by another trip up.

Phil ran to the nearest door. "Sorry guys!" he said as he barged into one of the Ducks' private quarters. Their spirits would undoubtedly understand since the only bathrooms available were the ones in their rooms.

Once the emergency had been taking care of Phil questioned whose quarters he'd ventured into. A good look around revealed the décor was humble and well-kept. Phil looked into the closet to find white jacket with gold shoulders amongst the articles of clothes.

The corner of mouth twitched. "If you're listening, Wildwing," Phil took a jacket sleeve in his fingers. "I hope you and the team can forgive me for hassling you guys all the time."

Next Phil turned and absently looked over to a digital clock on the nightstand.

"Its past noon? Wow!" Phil rubbed a crick in his thick neck. "I really slept in." Phil shrugged as he walked out of the room.

************

As the days passed Phil was surprised to find himself enjoying a slower pace. After the second day he'd even gotten used to his silent cell phone. Phil hadn't been able to do anything like this since his days of playing hooky in high school. But instead of loitering Phil discovered a stash of games like Solitaire and Minesweeper on Drake One.

And when the former manager was truly bored he put the computer's TV mode on to find the Chameleon still helming the local news. It was naturally the only program broadcasting on only the channel left on the air. Phil wasn't even sure who was watching beyond himself. In between his ramblings on all topics from Earth to Dimensional Limbo Chameleon did reveal actual news. In those times the Saurian explained to his nonexistent audience how the planet's population was being worked to the bone.

When they met the Ducks' told Phil what they were comfortable sharing about the second Saurian invasion and occupation on Puckworld. From those stories he could surmise what Earth's population was going through. It was nothing his imagination wanted to wander far into.

Still, survival was a strange drive… He was going to need get to the surface eventually. An elevator tube that formally ran to the upper levels might still work. But, if it didn't Phil would be stuck. And even if there was a way to the surface, the trip wasn't worth it. Phil gladly told himself that as he flopped on to the Rec Room couch for another night's sleep.

************

_Phil opened his eyes to see a blurry vision of Drake One's console. He rubbed away the __rest of the sleep while wondering how he got out of the Rec Room. His mind quickly __concluded sleepwalking. Then the theory was dashed when Phil turned to see the Ducks __were standing to his side. In only a second he felt shock, confusion and ultimately relief. __He didn't dare check if this was a dream or not. __Phil lifted himself from his seat. "Welcome home, guys!" he said as he outstretched his __arms. _

"_Nice to know we were missed." Mallory mused aloud._

"_We can't stay, Phil." Wildwing informed the manager._

_Phil let out an uneasy chuckle and asked "Why?"_

_Grin was the first to answer. "Our spirits have transcended the physical plane."_

_Phil's face melted into total confusion. He was just one on a long list of individuals who __could barely understand the large drake's way of putting things._

"_We came from that big hockey rink in the sky." Duke clarified._

"_Then how…?"_

"_Duh!" Nosedive threw his hands up. "We're dead, so we have eerie powers." _

"_We've been watching you, Phil." Wildwing revealed. "And we've decided someone has __to complete our mission."_

_Seeing where the conversation was headed Phil puffed up and released a preemptive __strike. "Come on, guys! That's way too dangerous. And I'm not even sure I can get to the __surface." _

_Tanya, who had been quiet, decided it was finally her turn to speak. "Um, you can try my __tutorial program on Drake One. It should, you know, teach you how to run things from __the computer, so you'll know if one of the tubes work."_

_Duke sent what could have been an evil glance towards his intended target. "Nah! If __Phil's too scared…" _

"_Alright, I'll go." Phil blurted out. _

"_Oh and can you try and find a razor while you're up there?" Nosedive asked._

_In realization Phil moved his hand down to stroke his chin. He was a bit surprised to feel __a rough surface. Shaving was a rare priority due to the fact that his face never seemed to __know he was well past puberty._

"_I was going for the Charlton Beston Ape World look." Phil replied._

_Nosedive's face lit up. "I saw that movie on the Classic Films Channel! Take your dirty __mitts off me, you stinkin' monkey!" he imitated actor's tough raspy delivery. _

_Phil let a half smile slip onto his face. His light mood was quickly broken when he saw __the Ducks beginning to fade. _

"_And Phil…" Wildwing's voice sounded distant, yet still audiable. "We forgive you."_

_As the Ducks became as fainter than a ray of light Phil felt a pull. Then his view of the __entire Ready Room was growing blurry._

************

Phil leaned into the refrigerator and allowed the artificially cool air to flow past him. After waking up back in the Rec Room he remembered the basics of what he dreamt. That in of itself was a rarity. He still had doubts that he was up to the challenge or even if it had all been real. Still mulling facts over Phil looked over the remaining food. It was still a sizable amount for one person. Then it fully dawned on him what luxury he had when there was nothing like this anywhere else unless you were Dragaunus and his minions. With a new resolve Phil fished an apple out of one of the lower draws. Phil clutched the piece of fruit and hoped the Ducks were still watching. "I'll do my best." he promised them.

* * *

Author's commentary: 'Kay, if y'all lasted this long-- thank you for coming back. I give equal gratitude for trusting that you'd be getting my own ideas this round. I wanted the prologue to be a memory refresher and to act as a proper begining. I figured it went without saying... Maybe not. Oh well, my bio says I'm a (fic\message board) veteran, but never said I was an organized one.


End file.
